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Team Unicorn: Intergalactic force of awesome

By all accounts, Team Unicorn should not exist. Like the fabled unicorns of ancient mythology, geek girls are also supposed to be the stuff of myth and legend, whispered about in reverent tones at Comic Con, but only ever seen fleetingly out of the corner of one’s eye. And yet, these magical beasts are very real. They bludgeon bad guys, rescue kittens, and regularly save the Universe – all in a day’s work for this intergalactic force of awesome.

Formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2010, the original members of Team Unicorn were actresses and singers Clare Grant, Milynn Sarley, Rileah Vanderbilt and Michele Boyd. The group is best known for their parody songs, including “G33k & G4m3r Girls” which spoofed Katy Perry’s “California Gurls.” Filled with geek cultural references, the song is a homage to women who love science fiction, manga, and especially gaming. Other YouTube hits include “A Very Zombie Holiday”, “SuperHarmony” (mocking those ubiquitous eHarmony commercials), “Alien Beach Crashers” (which spoofs the frothy 1950’s beach party songs institutionalized by Annette Funicello), and a “Starship Troopers” parody titled, “The UniCorps Wants YOU!”

Recently, Adult Swim announced that a Team Unicorn live action / animation pilot is in the works, from the creators of “Robot Chicken.”

I sat down with the unicorns for a lively discussion about gaming, music, movies and their love for space.

Clare Grant

Q:Marvel or DC?

Clare: I’m a Marvel girl. I grew up reading Marvel comics, and love their relatable characters and storytelling. But DC has created the most iconic superheroes of all time, so I have mad respect for them as well. Plus-DC has Batman.

Q:Favorite astronaut, scientist, engineer or inventor?

Clare: Does my college physics professor count? Because he introduced me to physics, which I fell in love with, and made me realize how much I like science. But if I had to pick someone the rest of the world knows, right now it would be Nikola Tesla. He is fascinating.

Q:Favorite planet?

Clare: My favorite planet is actually Saturn’s moon, Titan. I grew up reading a lot of Kurt Vonnegut, and love Sirens of Titan so much, I adapted it in to a play that I directed in college. That book romanticized Titan in a way that will stick with me forever.

Q:Star Wars or Star Trek?

Clare: I am definitely more passionate about Star Wars, as it is one of the most influential movies of my life, and something that bonded me with my younger brothers and sisters. And now it is something that I share with my husband. But I also grew up watching Star Trek with my Dad, who is a huge Trekker, so I have a lot of love for Star Trek.

Q:Favorite space agency?

Clare: NASA. I went to Space Camp in Huntsville for a field trip and was immediately fascinated by space . When I moved from Memphis to Houston, my new neighborhood & schools backed up to NASA property. My Intermediate school was even called Space Center. Being completely immersed in NASA like I was during that time, I fell even more in love with the agency and everything it stands for.

Q:If you were on a long space journey, what food and beverage could you not live with out?

Clare: Coffee, chocolate & bacon.

Q:Build things or destroy them?

Clare: I’ve been taking things a part just to put them back together again since I was a little girl, beginning with my NES. Getting my first computer was fun because I immediately took it apart, switching parts added things to it.

Q:Favorite space mission?

Clare: I saw the final shuttle mission launch, STS-135,
and it was beautiful. But STS-134 is the most memorable for me personally. I went down to Florida with my husband and a couple friends for the launch for STS-134, and STS-135. STS-134 was scrubbed, so instead, the kind folks at NASA gave us the most incredible tour of Kennedy Space Center and of the Air Force base down there. We sat in the cockpit of Discovery, touched the belly of Atlantis, played flight director in command central, and got to tour old launch sites. AND, it was on my husband and I’s first wedding anniversary. Nothing could have been
more perfect or magical.

Q:If you were on a long space journey, what food and beverage could you not live with out?

Rileah: Ramen noodles and green tea.

Q:Marvel or DC?

Rileah: This one’s tough, but Batman is my all time favorite comic character and I love Wonder Woman so I’ll have to go DC.

Q:If you could travel to any single place in the solar system where would you go?

Rileah: Spring break on Mars!

Q:What astronaut would you date?

Rileah: Neil Armstrong. I think you get cool points from your friends if you date the guy who was the first to walk on the moon.

Q:If you were a spacecraft which one would you be?

Rileah: Voyager 1. To be the first to be the first to travel into Interstellar Space is pretty awesome.

Q:If you could play any part in any sci-fi / space film or TV show, past, present or future, what would it be and why?

Rileah: Can I be Han Solo?? I’d like that. He has the best ship and a wookiee for a best friend.

Milynn Sarley

Q:Aliens or robots?

Milynn: Robots, I’m really only bidding my time staying alive till I can download my consciousness into an organic robot and live forever. Muahahaahaha.

Q:Build things or destroy them?

Milynn: Destroy how? With FIRE? I’m listening….

Q:Favorite Astronaut, scientist, engineer or inventor?

Milynn: Bobak Ferdowsi but only because he paid me to say that. #science

Q:The Universe; will it end in fire or ice? The Great Contraction or The Great Freeze?

Milynn: The Universe will end not with a bang but with a whimper…or from dark matter. Almost definitely dark matter.

Q:Marvel or DC?

Milynn: Marvel. I’ve been obsessed with the X-men franchise since childhood.

Q:Favorite planet?

Milynn: Gliese 581 g. It makes me dream dreams about the future, when intergalactic travel will be be a reality and the exploration for intelligent life can truly begin.

Q:Favorite video game?

Milynn: I’m not good at picking favorites but I would say FFVII had one of the biggest impacts on my life. It changed the whole way of how I viewed gaming and created the monster I am today.

Q:If you could travel to Mars what five things would you take with you?

Milynn: Five puppies. I mean…puppies are always the right answer…right? RIGHT?!

Q:Superhero or a villain?

Milynn: Villain. Full Villain.

Q:If you were on a long space journey, what food and beverage could you not live with out?

Milynn: If i were on a long space journey I would expect to be put into a lovely cryo-sleep until I had reached my destination. Should that technology be lacking, I suppose an endless supply of Jameson would be and acceptable alternative.

Q:If you could travel to any single place in the solar system where would you go?

Milynn: I get a free pass on dying right? Then the inside of a black hole. I desperately want to know what the ballz is inside of one of those things…or if they lead to somewhere.

Q:If you were a spacecraft which one would you be?

Milynn: The Tardis, because it can travel through space AND time. Also…bigger on the inside.

Q:If you could play any part in any sci-fi / space film or TV show, past, present or future, what would it be and why?

Milynn: Leeloo. Why? Multipass.

This article appeared in the March 2014 issue of RocketSTEM.
You may download the entire issue as a PDF file here, or view the magazine online in a full-screen viewer here.

– See more at: http://claregrant.com/interview-with-clare-for-stem-magazine/#sthash.dWY1v7BZ.dpuf

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Just wanted to take a sec to thank all you guys out there for being so supportive of our Wonder Woman project! It’s been such a surreal and awesome experience. I had hoped it would do well, but I never expected it to blow up the way it did. 4 million views in just a week…it’s kinda crazy pants!! We’ve heard through the grapevine that the peeps over at Warner Bros. and DC have seen it and love it! That still doesn’t mean that all of a sudden they are going to stop what they’re doing and hire our team to make a movie or television series, but at least they took notice and are really excited about the direction we took the character and franchise in. I love this character and I so hope that I get to play her again! Below are a couple of links to interviews and press about the project:)

xoxo,

Ri

One of the neatest things was seeing the short trend all over the internet. Not only were we front and center on youtube for a couple of days but we were the number one trending topic on Yahoo, Google, and Google +!

8PM to 9PM – I Don’t Know $#!+ About Comics! – Are you new to comics? Are you confused? Do you want to start reading but don’t know where to begin? Never fear, I Don’t Know $#!+ About Comics is here to help you make the transition from “I kinda liked that Man of Steel movie” to “I know everything about Superman, including his Social Security Number!” Let panelists Jesse Snider(Evil Ernie, Toy Story), Mark Waid (Daredevil, Kingdom Come), Rileah Vanderbilt(Team Unicorn), Tiffany Smith (GameGeek host), and moderator Aaron Sparrow(Darkwing Duck) indoctrinate you into the unequaled storytelling and imagination of comics! Room: 5AB

Friday, 7/19

11AM – 12PM – Team Unicorn/WeLoveFine signing – Join me and the lovelies, Clare Grant and Milynn Sarley for a signing at the WeLoveFine Pop Up shop located in the Gas Lamp! We will be premiering a brand new t shirt that we designed ourselves! Come by grab a shirt and a picture with your favorite Unicorns! You guys like Star Trek, right?;) WeLoveFine Pop-Up Shop @ Hilton San Diego Gaslamp. 401 K Street. San Diego, CA. 92101

Saturday, 7/20

I’ll be running around on the convention floor all Saturday dressed in the most epic cosplay! You guys curious about what project I’ve been working out so hard for? Well let’s just say if you find me on Saturday you’ll know;)

ALSO make sure you drop by booth #4300 or #3919 to pick up your copy of Cupcake Quarterly! Clare Grant and I are the cover models for their second annual “geek” issue!

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So fun hanging out with other GoT enthusiasts, and dishing on last night’s GAME OF THRONES! Thanks to Tiffany Smith and Geek Nation for being such hospitable hosts:) Also, a shout out to my co-guest Keahu Kahuanui for spoiling a major element for Tiffany! Haha;)

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It’s been two years since the number one magazine for geeks has been missing in action. This month brings us the return of one of the best magazines out there, and Team Unicorn is all over it. Featuring interviews with all of Team Unicorn, numerous new photos and fun tid-bits of information about each of your favorite unicorns. UnicornPOWER!!

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I will be appearing with Team Unicorn all this week on G4 for their special “Top 100 Video Games of All Time”! It’s really exciting to be asked to be a part of this since gaming is such a big part of my life as well as the rest of Team Unicorn’s:) We will be discussing all your favorite video games from the past to the present.

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While this summer’s May 4 is marked, even dominated by, the launch of Marvel’s The Avengers, it’s also considered worldwide to be Star Wars Day. A play on “May the Force be with you” (“May the fourth be with you”), SWD is a day to celebrate all things from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Read more here…